What I have now: 1) 3/8” corded B&D (don’t even know how I acquired this drill but can’t bring myself to get rid of it)2) 3/8” corded Makita (I like this drill quite a bit but, it does have a cord attached to it)3) 18V cordless Ryobi (part of a set bought @ HD. This drill has served me well for about 5 years now and been used ALOT more than the Makita primarily b/c it’s cordless. Downside is that the batteries were left in the charger to long & I think the heat generated from doing so has really taken its toll on the battery life.

What I’m thinking & what it will be used for:1) I’ve recently gotten into woodworking and have grown weary of 20 min batt life in my ryobi. I consider myself a beginner woodworker w/ big ambitions. 2) I’m 100% I want to go cordless.3) I’m planning on adding a drill press to my garage shop as soon as $ allows.4) This drill will be primarily for driving screws.5) Comfort & weight are BIG things to consider for me (~ 10 yrs ago, I shattered one of my wrists & have lost about 50% of the strength in that wrist).6) One other thing I should consider is that I own a brick house & there have been a half dozen or so times in the last year or so that I think an impact would have come in handy for boring into the brick for whatever reason I need too.

Of course, $ is a factor. I recently looked (Lowes) @ the Hitachi 18V Li ion drill/impact driver combo for $269. This is definately more than I want to spend but, I could prob be talked into it.I REALLY liked the way these two drivers felt in my hand. Total weight and balance was spot on for me.

What do you all think…should I just get a ryobi impact driver from HD ($119 for 18V cordless impact)? Going this way will allow me to use the new batt’s in the already owned ryobi set of tools. Out of the ryobi set the only other tool used much at all is the small trim saw. The batteries are not 100% shot, they still have a lil life left. Should I just suck it up and spend the $ for the Hitachi set?

I’m also curious how you tool experts feel about buying used drivers (from CL, etc.) as well as buying refurbished drivers (from refurbishedsales.com)

Edited to note that I just saw that HD has a makita drill/impact 18V Li ion set w/ 2 batt’s for $214.

I have the white makitas in 18 and 10.8v lithium. I love them and would highly reccomend them. They are light powerful and well balanced. I like to use the 10.8 set when possible, which is 90% of the time. However the 18 v can charge in 15 minutes.

Stay below 14 volt for a shop driver. 14 and 18 volt drills aremore suited to construction sites. Weight is the real issue though,and some of the newer drill systems have lighter and heavier18 volt batteries you can switch out, like Milwaukee.

Weight is a big factor. As is balance. Some of the newer drillshave shorter lengths that may make them easier to handlefor close quarter drilling and light work. In cabinetmaking andinstallations I prefer to have a right-angle drill/driver on hand.

I have the little Bosch 12volt 1/4 inch driver, and I love it. Enough power to drive 3 to 4 inch deck screws and nimble enough for putting kids toys together. I use it almost everyday for something. Can’t remember how I got along without it. I think it was $99.

In my mind, it’s all a matter of what you will be using it for. In my shop, the driver isn’t used all that much. I have one 18v for heavy stuff around the farm. In the shop, I went with what felt best in my hand. It was a light weight Bosch. Of course, if you really drive a lot of screws, you may need something a little bigger

I use the 3/8” 12v Bosch all day every day. It is great for almost everything I need to do. Once in awhile I have to snag one of my coworkers 18v Panasonic drills (amazing battery life on these btw) to go into something heavier. Those drills aren’t bad, but are so heavy compared to my Bosch. I do cabinet work so the tiny Bosch is able to go into some of my narrower cabinets. A big reason I bought this drill (to replace my 18v Dewalt) is that the batteries are so much cheaper than the 18v. I just bought some new ones and they are about half the price of the Dewalts.

I have two 1/2” makita’s for sale $50.00 for both including 2 14.4v 2.6Ahr Nimh batteries and a charger. Both drills work well. The batteries hold a charge and drive the drills fine, but not as good as when new.

One thing I am still curious about is how you all feel about buying refurbished tools online. I just saw the Hitachi 18V Li ion drill/impact/light set w/ 2 batteries for just $135. Now this certainly seems like a deal to me… as long as the batteries and the drivers are in good working order

So, what is the difference b/t new off the shelf tools and refurbished? (I could care less if there is a scratch on anything) I also would assume that the warranty and service are BIG factors when buying refurbished. What are some of the more popular websites w/ woodworkers for refurbished tools?

I buy a lot of Craftsman refurbished from their outlet stores. You can get the same deals on line through sears also. In 30 years of buying that way I have never gotten a lemon! The reason is probably that in repair them they are fully inspected. Used to be better deals than they give now but they are still good!

By the way the Hitachi drill driver is good, One thing you need to be aware of is the LI-Ion batteries don’t act like the older style. When they get close to being discharged they slow down some and then just quit! Just like some guys I used to work with.

-- BobG, Lowell, Arkansas--------My goal in life is to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am! Make more saw dust!!

I have been very very pleased with my DeWalt 12V Li-ion drill. I got the one with the 3/8” drill chuck, not a driver. It only weighs 3.2 lbs so there is less fatique in your arms from holding some 18V monster. It also has a really small profile, so it fits in small spaces nicely. I was just installing some drawer slides in a small cabinet, and it was very convenient.

I bought mine during the Rockler trade-in event, so i got it for 109.99 instead of 159.99. Awesome deal.